Fan Notes from Attica World of Outlaws

Attica Raceway Park (Tom Myers) 5-21-2021- The World of Outlaws and Attica Raceway Park conspired together to put on a sprint car race Friday May 21st and it ended up being a very entertaining and eventful evening.

Wow, this race had a little bit of everything. First of all, I was so thankful that the Outlaws and Attica Raceway Park finally had a race that was not on a weeknight. Normally, the one and only annual WoO visit here is the Doty race and that’s on a Tuesday, which is a work night obviously, and that means I can’t make it. So, yes, this was very cool.

Pops and I left work early and made it to the track around 5:30. And, as I expected, the parking lots were almost full. Campers and corn hole and barbecues were everywhere. Where to park? Geez, don’t these people have jobs, don’t they work? Are they professional racing spectators? Did they go to college to learn how to make a living going to World of Outlaws races and camping out? Licensed and trained race go-er too-ers? Man, what a life!

Anyway, after we got parked between a pickup truck and a tent, we made our way onto the fairgrounds and found an extra long line of folks in the ticket line. Actually there were two long lines. Thankfully, Attica has installed extra grandstand seating at the top of the existing grandstands. I counted 7 extra rows. Aluminum bleachers,….I wonder if maybe some of these came from the Mansfield race track? I think the majority of those bleachers ended up at a college football stadium somewhere in Ohio. So, there was plenty of room to find good seats, even with the big crowd.

Brandon Spithaler The food lines were long. I mean really long. I also noticed that the old, square shaped house that was with the white barn that sits off of turn 2…..was now gone. It’s odd not to see something that has been here for as long as we have been coming to the races here. I like history, and I enjoy looking at and photographing old structures such as century homes, churches, cemeteries one room school houses and factories. So it’s sad to see this old house is gone now. Maybe they moved it? Mmm, I doubt it, but I will make it a point to ask someone next time I am at Attica.

The merchandise trailers were insane. I mean, some of them were nicer and bigger than many of the race car haulers in the pits. It looked like a carnival or county fair, the way these were all set up behind the grandstands. It truly is a travelling show, this World of Outlaws group. Like a carnival that comes to town, sets up and then just like that, it’s gone and the show takes off down the road, headed for the next stop.

The weather was perfect. Very warm, but not too humid, and it stayed warm all evening. Finally, summer is almost here. The track was tacky and immediately formed a big ledge or cushion around turns 1,3 and 4. The ledge went away around turn 2 but it always seems to do that here. If you went over the cushion, it was high enough to upset your car and mess up your lap.

Qualifying was really neat. I like how the Outlaws time. One car goes out and after their first lap, another one is pushed off. But it is rapid fire and they continually time cars until they are all done. I mean, it’s all business, and it was a nice presentation, they wasted no time.

Cole and Carson Macedo Aaron Reutzel was the first to qualify out of 31 cars and he had the fast time for quite awhile until Sheldon went out about ¾ of the way through. I will just say it here,…….I am not a Dietrich fan. (Let the reader understand that I do root for Dan, but I also root for Aaron. If you watch a certain Youtube channel you will understand ) After Sheldon grabbed the fast time then Brandon Spithaler went and grabbed it! Nice Brandon. And then Gravel went out and bested Spithaler’s time….and David was one of the last cars to go out.

It was cool to see Carson and Cole Macedo racing together. They were parked next to each other in the pits. Parker Price Miller is off the Outlaws tour now. I read that He is to be driving for Guy Forbrook for a few races. The Jacobs family is everywhere. Dean was helping wrench his son Trey’s ride, which on this evening, was the Grove blue #70 car. R.J. Jacobs was also racing here tonight in his 18 car. And Cody Jacobs is wrenching for David Gravel. We were also told by the World of Outlaws announcer that Lee Jacobs was celebrating a birthday.

And more Jacobs news! Trey Jacobs really grabbed the spotlight during the dash draw. First off, Trey and Carson Macedo banged wheels at the checkers in their heat race with Trey keeping the 2nd spot and Carson spinning into the infield. That finish ensured a dash spot for Trey. Before Trey was to draw his dash pill, he got on one knee and proposed to his girlfriend. She accepted and then Trey pulled the number 1 pill! That’s what I call winning! Ha Ha Good for Trey!

I never knew this, call me dense or deaf or aloof or whatever, but when the Outlaws come to race, Attica will pay a $2,000 bonus to the feature winner if the winner is an Attica regular who is in the top 15 in Attica points. Also, if an Attica regular does not win the race, the track will pay $1,000 bonus to the Attica regular with the highest finish in the feature. That’s a nice boost and incentive for the racers.

David Gravel in Victory Lane Dirtvision had a portable jumbo-tron screen sitting outside turn 2. They showed replays and time trial and heat race standings on it as well as playing highlight clips from previous races. I NEVER! At first I thought maybe the track had put up a second screen, but I actually was talking with a guy later on in the pits and he said he was the driver who hauled that screen around everywhere for Dirtvison. The next big thing will be an interactive helmet. You rent it at the gate, and then you put it on and the Outlaws will stream video content and advertising messages as well as race standings in real time…into the screen in your face. You will hear advertisements and also the race announcer will come into your earpieces loud and clear so you will never miss a thing. And, no dust! And you can pick out the helmet design of your favorite driver. Ah, the ultimate digital racing experience! ( I have a patent on this idea, so if you use it, make sure and contact me for my mailing address and bank information so the royalties will seamlessly flow back to me.)

Okay, enough, now back to the racing. So the track was tacky, and then it really dried out and we had a dusty, slick track for the feature. The top 10 timers were Gravel, Spithaler, Haudenschild, Reutzel, Carson Macedo, Sweet, Schatz, Trey Jacobs, Schughart and Mintz. The top 2 finishers in each heat would go to the dash. Top heat finishers were Gravel winning heat 1 with Reutzel 2nd, Spithaler winning heat 2 with Trey Jacobs 2nd and Haudenschild winning heat 3 with Sweet 2nd. In the dash, Haudenschild started in the last spot but powered to the win with Spithaler finishing in 2nd.

When the feature started, Spithaler fought with Sheldon and grabbed the lead and then there was a yellow on the first lap. This happened 3 times and then the race finally got going. On the third restart Spithaler had the lead but on lap 2 or 3, not sure, Haud kind of threw a slider in turn 3, but it looked like Sheldon actually crowded Spithaler off the turn. Spithaler had no room and had to evade Sheldon and as a result Spit went off turn 4 and spun. He restarted at the tail. When the race resumed, Haud raced out to a lead and then Gravel caught him and raced by to take the first spot. But later on and around lap 17, Haud, who had been shadowing Gravel, took back the lead in lapped traffic and then raced away, leaving Gravel to battle with Donnie Schatz for 2nd. Then a yellow came out for Reutzel, who went to the work area along with Spithaler. Haud again raced away at the restart as Gravel and Schatz traded positions and banged wheels. With 2 laps to go, Foos lost a wheel and spun right in front of the leader Haudenschild at the turn 4 exit and Haud had nowhere to go but into Foos. Haud was done and 2nd place Gravel inherited the lead. With 2 laps to go, Gravel defended the top spot from a charging Schatz and held on for the win. Wow, didn’t see that finish coming at all. What drama, right? Haud had it and the crowd was loving it. But Gravel got the win, Schatz was 2nd and Brent Marks came all the way from 19th to 3rd!

Thank you Attica Raceway Park and thank you World of Outlaws, for putting on a good show and a very entertaining evening. Let’s do it again!